Never seems to eat enough pellets?

[bunnnnnnie!]

Zeus is just not a fan of pellets.  He loves to eat.. loves treats, loves hay, loves greens.  But he’s just never been a huge fan of his pellets, and I’m beginning to worry about whether or not his nutritional needs are being met.  He is taking foreverrrrrrr to finish shedding, and seems like his coat just isn’t as smooth and shiny as it was when I first got him and he was on an alfalfa-based pellets that he ate very well.

If I have to choose between offering him a timothy-based pellet, and him not eating them (1/8 cup lasts him 4 or 5 days, some of it just gets scattered out of his cage, and he’s a 10lb bun)… or switching to an alfalfa-based pellet, and knowing he’ll at least eat it, but then I have concerns of the calcium content and sludge issues and such, what would be the better option?

I’ve tried three different kinds of timothy based pellets, he hasn’t loved any of them.  Oxbow Bunny Basics T was the most hated, LOL.  Kaytee Timothy Complete and Kaytee Forti-Diet Pro-Health (I think that’s the name, it is timothy based) are both just “meh” to him.

[Sarita]

Have you tried any of the other Oxbow pellets like the organic or new Natural Balance by Oxbow? The Natural Balance has timothy, orchard and oat hay.

Oxbow lists their organic as having organic grass hay so not sure if it’s timothy or not, but it’s a different formulation.

Maybe worth giving those a try.

As for sludge – I wouldn’t worry about this if he hasn’t had any problems – there is no scientific studies done on what really causes sludge in rabbits – maybe bladder or kidney disease…if there were sludge problems then maybe you would want to cut down on pellets or cut out commercial pellets altogether.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Sarita on 05/10/2013 03:04 PM
Have you tried any of the other Oxbow pellets like the organic or new Natural Balance by Oxbow? The Natural Balance has timothy, orchard and oat hay.

Oxbow lists their organic as having organic grass hay so not sure if it’s timothy or not, but it’s a different formulation.

Maybe worth giving those a try.

As for sludge – I wouldn’t worry about this if he hasn’t had any problems – there is no scientific studies done on what really causes sludge in rabbits – maybe bladder or kidney disease…if there were sludge problems then maybe you would want to cut down on pellets or cut out commercial pellets altogether.

None of the stores around here carry the new Oxbow feeds, I might be able to special order them.  But I kind of hate to do that (and pay extra for special order) if he doesn’t like them.  I wish I could get a sample, LOL!

So I always thought sludge was the issue with alfalfa based foods.  If that’s not a very big concern (he’s never had issues with sludge), why is it we avoid the alfalfa based pellets?  The protein content?  Excess protein is usually simply excreted in urine, I thought.

Zeus says if I would simply feed him 1/2 cup dried pineapple per day, that would be great.  LOL!  

 

[tobyluv]

Some rabbit nutritionists see nothing wrong with feeding alfalfa pellets to adult rabbits. In Lucile Moore’s latest book on rabbit nutrition, she mentions that some grass based pellets have even more calcium than some alfalfa based pellets, if that is someone’s concern. I know people who have always fed their adult rabbits with alfalfa pellets, and they have had no problems.

I know that Sweet Meadow Farms makes a pellet that is a blend of timothy and alfalfa. I’ve never tried it, but I know that they are a good company and I have tried their hay.

Here is the link for it:

http://www.sweetmeadowfarm.com/animal-food-and-hay/rabbit-blend.html

[Sarita]

With pellets the calcium is more concentrated from what I’ve read. I know feeding greens high in oxalate should be limited too.

I agree about sample sizes as well, wonder why they don’t do this….

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By tobyluv on 05/10/2013 03:54 PM
Some rabbit nutritionists see nothing wrong with feeding alfalfa pellets to adult rabbits. In Lucile Moore’s latest book on rabbit nutrition, she mentions that some grass based pellets have even more calcium than some alfalfa based pellets, if that is someone’s concern. I know people who have always fed their adult rabbits with alfalfa pellets, and they have had no problems.

I know that Sweet Meadow Farms makes a pellet that is a blend of timothy and alfalfa. I’ve never tried it, but I know that they are a good company and I have tried their hay.

Here is the link for it:

http://www.sweetmeadowfarm.com/animal-food-and-hay/rabbit-blend.html

 

Timothy/alfalfa blend, what an excellent idea.  Thanks for the input!

[Sarita]

I think that’s true too what Tobyluv posts and really pellet are just the smallest portion of a rabbit’s diet anyway.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Sarita on 05/10/2013 03:55 PM
With pellets the calcium is more concentrated from what I’ve read. I know feeding greens high in oxalate should be limited too.

I agree about sample sizes as well, wonder why they don’t do this….

Yeah I do try to avoid feeding large amounts of Kale in one sitting for that very reason, I think it’s an oxalate rich green.  Zeus also disagrees with this and thinks he REALLY needs ad lib Kale, LOL!
 

[Sarita]

Actually kale is not so feel free to feed as much of that as you want.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By Sarita on 05/10/2013 03:59 PM
I think that’s true too what Tobyluv posts and really pellet are just the smallest portion of a rabbit’s diet anyway.

 

So would say 1/8 cup per day of alfalfa pellets be enough to at least ensure his vitamin/mineral needs are being met?  I don’t want to overdo the pellets but I want to make sure he’s getting adequate nutrition for his size/weight.

Right now he’s eating like… 1/16 of a cup per day, if that.

[Sarita]

I think that would be fine.

[MoveDiagonally]

I wanted to pop in real quick.

My husband once took over feeding the buns while I was ill and bought and fed the young rabbit alfalfa based pellets by mistake. When I regained my health and noticed a few weeks had passed and my buns were starting to become chunky little monkeys.

I think your plan sounds fine I would just keep an eye on weight and make sure he’s not packing on any unnecessary pounds as the alfalfa pellets are usually higher in fat.

[Deleted User]

Re oxalate rich greens, you may want to take a look at this article: http://rabbit.org/suggested-vegetables-and-fruits-for-a-rabbit-diet/ Its broken down nicely into the groups of greens you want to limit and those that are fine. Spinach, parsley and beet greens stick in my mind as the ones to limit, … spinach was the one that sort of irritates me. (I can get it in quantity, store it easily, and eat a lot of it myself.) However, they recommend making these (they list seven) greens one of three to be served in rotation. I’ve found it a fabulous reference.

[hannaroo]

Maybe consult your vet about it, I’ve heard it is possible to have a diet for your bunny without pellets (only really if your really stuck) and he/she may be able to tell you what to feed them to make sure your getting all that nutrients into him. Defiantly do your research though

[Eucalyptus]

How big is your variety of veggies that you provide? If you’re getting quite a large amount, you don’t have to worry about lack of nutrients. And, you could even look into just removing them, as this would end up being beneficial in the long run anyway.

[tobyluv]

So would say 1/8 cup per day of alfalfa pellets be enough to at least ensure his vitamin/mineral needs are being met? I don’t want to overdo the pellets but I want to make sure he’s getting adequate nutrition for his size/weight.

I agree with Sarita. I think that 1/8 cup of alfafa based pellets for a 10 pound rabbit would be fine. You said that he eats lots of hay and greens, so having that small amount of alfalfa pellets each day would not be overdoing it.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Unfortunately Zeus doesn’t eat a very big variety of greens. He loves greens but is very picky. He doesn’t like… mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, parsley, red romaine lettuce, spinach of any kind, mint, any herb except cilantro, celery… to name a few. LOL!

I’ll stop by a few stores today and see if I can find a quality alfalfa based pellet. Any guidelines I should stick to, or ingredients to avoid?

[bunnnnnnie!]

Posted By MoveDiagonally on 05/10/2013 05:22 PM
I wanted to pop in real quick.

My husband once took over feeding the buns while I was ill and bought and fed the young rabbit alfalfa based pellets by mistake. When I regained my health and noticed a few weeks had passed and my buns were starting to become chunky little monkeys.

I think your plan sounds fine I would just keep an eye on weight and make sure he’s not packing on any unnecessary pounds as the alfalfa pellets are usually higher in fat.

Thanks for the input!  I’m hoping 1/8 cup for a big bun won’t be enough to cause weight gain but I’ll keep an eye on him.

 

[Deleted User]

Well you see he’s being a help to you in his pickiness. If you look at the lists on the page I posted a link to yesterday you’ll see he doesn’t like most of the greens that you might want to limit so that keeps things simple. Mine aren’t fond of collard greens either, though I’ve noticed if I put a couple of leaves in a plate of other greens they will get eaten. Make them one of the three main selections though and they will only get picked at.

I don’t know where you are, but if you come across it Martins makes a high quality pellet, and their original (or for active rabbits) is alfalfa based. Its an alternative and if you look at their site you can find all the ingredients listed.

Best of luck!

[jerseygirl]

So I always thought sludge was the issue with alfalfa based foods. If that’s not a very big concern (he’s never had issues with sludge), why is it we avoid the alfalfa based pellets? The protein content? Excess protein is usually simply excreted in urine, I thought.

I think theyre just higher in calories.

My rabbits have been fed alfalfa based pellets always & their weight stays stable. (Limited portions of course.)
There just isn’t a range of Timothy pellets available here.
I actually think Zeus being a larger breed would do fine on an alfalfa pellet.

The pellet I feed has a higher % fibre content then protein and you want to find something that is no more then 3% fat.

Will Zeus eat the pellets if you hand feed them? Just wonder if he has trouble picking them up??

[Author]

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